March 04, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

A good shot at the title

by Keith Peters

Steven Brown might be one of those basketball players who never met a shot he didn't like.

Give him a lane and he'll drive. Give him an opening and he'll fire up a three-pointer. He's an equal opportunity destroyer.

While the 6-foot-5 junior is just one of many talented offensive players on the Palo Alto boys' basketball team, Brown knows it will take more than just offense for the Vikings to become the 2005 Central Coast Section Division II champions.

"We have to play good defense," he said. "And our unselfishness will carry us from there."

That's certainly a sound formula for success, one that top-seeded Palo Alto (28-1) hopes to test today when it faces No. 2 Mitty (21-8) in the CCS Division II finals at the San Jose State Events Center at 4:45 p.m.

"Defense" and "unselfishness" might sound strange coming from someone who just scored a career-high 28 points, as Brown did Tuesday in Palo Alto's 74-44 semifinal victory over No. 4 Sequoia (24-7) at Santa Clara High.

Brown knows, however, that before he even gets the opportunity to shoot, he and his teammates have to get the ball. The Vikings do that very well. They average 16.1 steals and 34.9 rebounds per game. Equally impressive is the fact more than half of Palo Alto's 66 points per game average are assisted.

While Palo Alto has used these tools to beat three CCS opponents by an average of 31.3 points a game, head coach Peter Diepenbrock knows Mitty won't fall so easily.

"We're very, very similar," he said of the Monarchs, who eliminated No. 3 Riordan, 58-34, in Tuesday's other semifinal. "They have three tall guys in the frontline and two good guards. They like to press, like set plays on offense. They like to get inside and get offensive rebounds."

Mitty's main offensive weapon against Riordan was 6-7 freshman Drew Gordon, who has 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Monarchs also have 6-6 senior Alex Okafor, 6-5 junior Thomas Fang, 6-1 senior guard Adam Ortiz and 5-8 senior guard Luke Eala. That group accounted for 44 points against Riordan.

Paly counters with the 6-5 Brown, 6-6 senior Brian Baskauskas, 6-6 senior Greg Walder, 6-5 junior Cooper Miller and 6-1 junior guard Jeremy Lin. That group tallied 48 points against Sequoia while playing less than three quarters.

Baskauskas (16.8 ppg), Walder (8 ppg) and Miller (6 ppg) normally average a combined 30.8 points a game but combined for just 10. Yet, the Vikings still won by 30.

Thus is Mitty's dilemma - just who do you try to stop? There's always someone to hurt you. On Tuesday, it was Brown.

Paly actually trailed Sequoia 12-8 in the first quarter until Brown got hot. His three-pointer ignited a 43-3 run and another trey ended it - giving the Vikings a 51-15 lead just into the third quarter.

Brown hit two more three-pointers before he finally missed with 3:44 left in the third quarter, ending a remarkable streak of 10 straight baskets. He soon left the game after converting 10 of 14 field-goal attempts - seven of them three-pointers.

"Steven's done that before," said Diepenbrock. "He can get it going."

Said Brown: "I was just in a rhythm. Shooting is what I do."

Brown credited Lin for drawing defenders to him and then kicking it out. None of Brown's three-pointers were contested.

While Brown's treys shot down Sequoia, it was the Vikings' defense that really pulled the trigger.

"We're creating a lot of offense off our defense, and I'm pleased with that," Diepenbrock said. "They (Sequoia) made us work, but then our defense got some tips and steals . . . we converted them into good shots at the other end."

Palo Alto outscored Sequoia in the second quarter, 32-3, holding the Cherokees scoreless for the final 4:29.

Lin was the catalyst. He finished with 10 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals while playing just half the game. The 6-1 Lin even slammed home a dunk for a 42-15 lead in the second quarter.

Diepenbrock got all 16 of his players in the game, including four members of Paly's championship frosh-soph team.

"They are a great team," Sequoia coach Pete Simos said. "They will be a force to be reckoned with in the NorCal playoffs."

By advancing to the CCS finals, Palo Alto has assured itself a berth in the NorCal tournament that begins Tuesday. A section title will keep the Vikings at home for the first two rounds while a loss Friday would mean Paly would travel.
Division IV

Menlo's highly successful season came to an end Wednesday night in a 62-38 loss to top-seeded Valley Christian-San Jose in a semifinal at Alvarez High in Salinas. The fourth-seeded Knights, who finished 18-7, hung tough until Valley Christian pulled away in the third quarter.

Senior Brandy Bassett led Menlo with 10 points. Other seniors capping their careers were Nathan Majors and Matt Curtis.
Division V

Top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep (22-5) will take on No. 2 Eastside Prep (26-6) in the division championship game Saturday at Santa Clara High at 1 p.m. The Panthers have won three straight CCS titles, beating the Gators for the 2004 crown.

Eastside Prep and Sacred Heart Prep also are guaranteed NorCal berths following their respective semifinal victories Tuesday at Burlingame High.

Sacred Heart Prep advanced with a 40-31 win over No. 4 Mid-Peninsula (18-8) while Eastside Prep overcame No. 3 King's Academy, 56-41.

SHP held Mid-Peninsula scoring leader Walter Washington to a season-low three points.

"We can't win with Walter scoring three points," said Mid-Peninsula coach Curtis Haggins. "We didn't execute when we really need to, but we played very hard and I'm proud of that."

SHP, however, was able to execute at the right time.

The first came in the opening half when SHP erased a 15-7 deficit with a 14-2 run and grabbed a 21-17 halftime lead. The second came after Mid-Pen had gone ahead 24-21 in the third quarter. Mid-Pen's momentum was broken when Marcus Thomas attempted a tip dunk and grabbed the rim. He was called for a technical. SHP then made two free throws, converted a three-point play and finished an 8-0 run over the final 1:46 on Mikel Davila's buzzer-beating three-pointer from beyond halfcourt.

Mid-Peninsula closed to within four points in the fourth quarter, thanks to Jamar Williams. He finished scored six of his team-high 16 points before fouling out in the final period. SHP held on to the lead by making nine of 10 free throws down the stretch.

Davila led the Gators with 12 points and Eric Cowell added eight. Scoring leader Pat Coffey was held to eight, but he helped spark the defense that denied Mid-Peninsula key offensive rebounds at crucial moments.

Mid-Pen seniors playing their final game included Washington, Thomas, Reggie Demery and Jesse Carter.

Eastside Prep returns to the finals in search of a sixth CCS crown after overcoming a size disadvantage against King's Academy. The Panthers blew open a 36-27 game with a 22-point fourth quarter. Seniors Clarence Webster (15 points), Tim Johnson (12) and Derrick Haynie (11) all stepped it up at the right time. Webster, held scoreless in the quarterfinals, scored 10 points in the fourth-quarter run.

"This was definitely one of our best games," said Eastside Prep coach Chris Bischof. The Panthers made six of eight three-pointers, 12 of 14 free throws and had just eight turnovers.

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